In the header portion, you’ll identify the section in your QA/QC manual where you’ve described this particular quality policy.

Next, to prevent old versions from mistakenly being used, you’ll list the version date. Then, you’ll add the approval date and who approved the procedure.

For the main body of the SOP, you’ll include the following:• Purpose• Scope• Responsible Person(s)• References• Procedure

Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the example of an SOP for construction nonconformance reporting:

Notice how the body of the procedure has numbered steps that describe the work process step-by-step.

How much detail should you add?

A general guideline is to keep the procedure as simple as possible, but not so simple that the lack of details could adversely affect quality.

I have seen many SOPs that fail to find the right balance between completeness and simplicity. Too simple and you do not achieve your goal for controlling a quality process. Too complex and you cause unnecessary work for yourself (the procedure writer) as well as the people responsible for carrying out the work.

Multiply the efficiency by the number of procedures and the balance you find can determine the success of your quality system.

About the Author - Ed Caldeira is founder of First Time Quality, LLC, specializing in submittal-ready construction QA/QC plan templates and custom quality plans as well as construction quality inspection and punchlist software.

Great article. Achieving standardized work is one of the most challenging aspects of production homebuilding. Everyone always seems to want to do the same thing "their own way." This is a step toward achieving that.